3 Supervisors Vote Yes on Regionalization Concept

A formal accountability structure is also currently being defined, as it is recognized as the lynchpin to successful and impactful outcomes. The business leadership from the Metro Chamber, SARTA, SACTO and Valley Vision will each sign a Teaming Agreement that specifies roles and performance obligations toward Next Economy execution and each organization is working to integrate Next Economy strategies and actions into existing annual workflow in accordance with organizational expertise.

Chris Daley, Mt Democart | March 18 2013

Any new ideas for regionalizing anything came up against a fairly solid wall of skepticism at last week’s El Dorado County Board of Supervisors meeting. The Chief Administrative Office recommended the board consider and adopt a resolution in support of a new project known as the “Next Economy Capital Region Prosperity Plan.”

The resolution eventually passed with three of the four supervisors present giving somewhat tepid support. Ron Mikulaco, District 1 voted no. Norma Santiago, District 5 was out of town Tuesday...

Valerie Chelseth, co-owner with her sisters Pattie and Janet in My Sisters’ Farm in Shingle Springs, set the tone.

“I’m so pissed, and I hope it pisses you off as well. This is big government taking over. You’ve already sold the soul of your constituents, and we’re totally outnumbered by the six counties,” the first Chelseth said.

Sue Taylor of Camino piled on, slamming the proposed mixed economy as an example of “government intervention … a public-private partnership to regionalize our economy, to remove and replace local autonomy with ‘pre-determined clusters’ just like communist countries.”

Evelyn Veerkamp addressed the board assuming that supervisors had already decided they were “going to sign on” without knowing all the nuts and bolts of the plan. She likened the situation to “Obamacare and Nancy Pelosi saying you have to approve it before you read it.”